Five restaurants in Cornwall have had a massive boost after a celebrity chef picked them as his favourite "under-the-radar" eateries in the county in a national newspaper.

Nathan Outlaw, who holds four Michelin stars for his restaurants including Restaurant Nathan Outlaw and Outlaw's Fish Kitchen both in Port Isaac, chose his wild west haunts in yesterday's Sunday Times.

He said: "The standard of food in Cornwall in the 20 years I've been here has gone up massively. It basically used to be Rick Stein and a few local hotels. Now you can eat out seven days a week and eat well.

"Here are five lesser-known places where I like to do just that."

Coombeshead Farm, Launceston

The newest place on Nathan's list, this "boutiquey guesthouse" was opened last year by Tom Adams – the man behind the Pitt Cue restaurant in London.

Nathan said: "The combination of a working farm, forest and garden ingredients, and the cooking ability that Tom has, means I have high hopes this could be one of the UK's best restaurants with accommodation."

Nathan Outlaw

Be warned though, as the chef who also has a restaurant at the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, states: "Everyone eats communally so if you don't like other people's company, you'll probably want to avoid it."

Craftworks, Truro

Well-known to shoppers in Truro, Craftworks is the shipping container on Lemon Quay, opposite M&S.

Nathan writes: "A shipping container plonked on the quay in Truro doesn't sound too promising, but Dan, the chef and co-owner, has used his knowledge of cooking all over the world to create superb street food."

As he says, "they achieve excellence in everything they do, and it's affordable too; five or six quid a dish."

Kahuna, Newquay

According to Nathan, this is the best pan-Asian food you'll get in Cornwall".

Run by husband and wife team Ryan and Kely Mather, the restaurant near Newquay railway station, specialises in Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Thai.

"Because of the travelling they've done – I think they were surfers – they know how to do it properly," added Nathan. "Asian is my favourite food to eat out, so when I found this place, I was over the moon."

Driftwood, near Portscatho

Run by fellow Michelin chef, Chris Eden – the only Cornishman to ever receive a star – "deserved a lot more attention than he gets," said Nathan.

"His cooking is really strong. It's fine dining, which isn't the coolest thing in cooking at the moment, but his experience really shines."

Local Cornish ingredients but with a modern twist.

Tolcarne Inn, Newlyn

Run by former Michelin star chef Ben Tunnicliffe, the Tolcarne Inn gets a shout out from Nathan mostly for its fish dishes.

He said: "It's a simple four, four and four menu, which I always think is a good thing – if you've got a short menu, it means it's all going to be fresh."